creative kids

I love World Book Day!! Not just because I am an author but because as a parent of 3 children I have seen first-hand the important role that books have played and continue to play in all their lives…

For 18 months I read the whole of the Harry Potter series (with my then 8 and 10 year old) – every night we would devour another chapter and I got to fall in love with that amazing book series again (having first read it some 20 years ago!)

I have passed on my favourite books from my childhood to my children; including the whole of the famous five collection and my daughter is currently obsessed with the Malory towers and St. Claire’s series and is learning so much from the stories about loyalty, friendship and growing up into a strong young woman!

My 2 year old loves choosing his books after bath time and snuggling up to Winnie the Pooh, The Gruffalo amongst other favourites and some not so well known (including his encyclopedia of dinosaurs!!) And the time we spend together at the end of the day is precious; I leave my phone downstairs and put the craziness of the day aside for a second, before I have to dash off to collect the older ones from clubs, make tea, answer emails and prepare for the following day and all the other million and one things that a mum needs to do every evening. And for 20 minutes we have quiet, cuddly story time and it is good for both of us!

The value of books and stories for children cannot be underestimated and in the increasing digital world should be encouraged more than ever. What my children have learnt about empathy, relationships, human behaviours, historic events, dealing with emotions and life and becoming good citizens of the world from the stories they have read is so critical to their wellbeing and development. And not to mention the academic and educational benefits.

So I thought I would give our best recommendations for less obvious books to read with your children; the unsung heroes of children’s books if you like!! Because we all know (and love!) Harry Potter and Julia Donaldson and Roald Dahl of course – but then everyone knows about these. And this year I wanted to inspire people to try some different books that will really have an impact on you and your children. Because the popular ones are on everyone else’s list so as much as they belong on ‘best of lists’ its good to get recommendations for lesser known children’s books.

Taking time out to read is really such a valueable and enjoyable thing for both of you. And it won’t be long before they don’t want you to read with you anymore, so take the snuggles and the togetherness while you can!!!

Happy reading….and being together………

Books you must read for under 3’s…

1/ Winnie the Pooh (Disney version):

Ok the most classic children’s story of all time arguably doesn’t belong on a list of less obvious children’s books you should read! Except this version does as I have not seen them anywhere since and they have literally had hundreds of hours of read time in our house! I bought this entire set of 20 Winnie-the Pooh books at a charity shop for £3 10 years ago when my eldest was one – such a bargain! And it has literally been the most favourite set of books in our house for all the children. The stories are long enough to have a good moral and tale to learn from but have made the traditional Winnie the pooh language more simple and accessible for younger readers. If you can find the set I would highly recommend them!

2/ Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type:

This is as random as it sounds but a delightfully random story! Short and funny and it come swift an audio CD read by Rich Mayall.

3/ The Magic Sky – Lucy Richards:

A colourful board book about polar bears and the love of a mummy and daddy!

4/ Richard Scarry’s Funniest Storybook ever:

Richard Scarry also created ‘Busy Town’ and a range of other similar books that were popular in the 70s and 80’s but don’t seem as well known in the UK of late. The illustrations, the vignettes and the scenes have children poring over them for hours.

Books for you must read for 4-8 year olds…….

5/ Dogger – Shirley Hughes :

Used to be a classic but not seen as much nowadays but the story is so relatable for all kids about looking after a beloved toy. Good for developing emotional intelligence in children.

6/ The Little Engine that Could – Watty Piper:

This is like the original motivational text for children! It teaches them so much about keeping going through adversity and is just a lovely, lovely story!

7/ The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton

An absolute must read for every child under 8 I believe – every child should have the opportunity to imagine and dream about a magical world at the top of a huge tree which has a slide going down the centre and the most incredible biscuits which fizz and pop in your mouth!

8/ Green Eggs and Ham – Dr Seuss

As much as the author is well known, and ‘The Cat in the Hat’ is his most famous, but I think ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ is amazing not only for the rhymes and prose but because its simple message encourages children to try new things! Simple…and successful!

9/ Mr PinkWhistle – Enid Blyton:

I believe these are out of print and they are lesser known works of Enid Blyton but are really worth tracking down and reading with younger kids. They have timeless morals in their stories (if a bit repetitive!) and children love the funny little man and the fact that he ‘puts wrong things right’. It shows them that they can make a difference to things that are not right!

10/ Wonderslide World – Helen Nurse

Who wouldn’t want to discover a magical world at the bottom of a magical slide underneath the stage in their school and meet a load of amazing circus performers and talking squirrels?! Wonderslide World introduces the Wonderstar characters, who are skilled youngsters who all have a different talent and which encourages children to think what Wonderstar they would be, because everyone is good at something!

Books for you must read for 9+ year olds…….

11/Running Wild – Michael Morpurgo:

All Michael Morpurgo books are amazing. Mostly he takes a real event from history and creates a fictional, human story that happened in the real event. So its a great way of teaching children and young people about real historical events and bringing a human story often with hardship and challenges to overcome. Running Wild is about a boy and an elephant who survive the Tsunami in Indonesia and is an incredible story, that not only children should read but adults too!

12/ Five Find Outers Mystery series – Enid Blyton:

Everyone has heard of The Famous Five of course and The Five Find Outers is a lesser known version of the Famous Five but in a lot of ways funnier and better mysteries! My kids love both but The Five Find Outers wins out!

13/ Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls:

there are different versions of this now, including one for rebel boys, but this is the original and my 9 year old daughter loves the book. It is a compilation of short, real life stories about real life inspiring women and what they achieved. Each one is short and bite sized so easy to read and so, so inspiring! There is also a podcast of the series here

14/ Wonder – P.J Palacio:

This is a wonderfully written story about a boy with a sever facial disfigurement and really raises a lot of important issues for children and young people to consider. Written from the boys point of view it is extremely insightful and I think every young person should read this and would change the way they look at someone with a disability or who seems different to them as a result.

So these are our recommendations for lesser known children’s books that are amazing in our view! Please tell us what you think…and have an amazing World Book Day 2019 whatever book you choose to celebrate!

Childhood is a magical time. It’s when kids start to make sense of the world around them. Children, especially toddlers, have the ability to turn ordinary activities into interesting situations. In fact, a child’s grasp of fantasy and reality is very fragile, and that’s why it is important for parents to make sure they nurture it. As we noted before – Albert Einstein once said logic will get you from A to Z, but imagination will get you anywhere.

It’s common for parents to find it challenging to get their children off the sofa, especially in this day and age when there are so many apps and games. But if the activity is interesting enough, they might just put their gadgets down. Why not send them on a spy mission around your local area? You can start by giving them a map of their “mission”, with their journey beginning at your home and ending at their favourite spot. If they are too young to go out alone, you can accompany them as their assistants. This is a great way to get them out of the house and exercising.

Go star gazing

Image Credit: Pexels

Take them to a family camping site where you can set up a bonfire and a tent, and tell stories about aliens, observe the stars, and map out your next family trip to a distant planet. Bring a telescope and help them find the North Star and other famous formations. If you’re really feeling imaginative you can pretend that the lights of aeroplanes are in fact alien spaceships. Simple activities like these are crucial to a child’s upbringing.

Escape to Narnia with your children

Image Credit: Pexels

Encourage your kids to imagine that they’ve entered the wardrobe and have come out the other end in Narnia. It would be exhausting to explore Narnia on foot, so make sure to take your bikes along with you. Why not take your kids to a woodland biking trail for the best adventure? Famous forests such as the New Forest and Sherwood Forest have plenty of family-friendly biking trails. You can even make a weekend of it and take your children camping.

While cycling can be a low-cost activity for all the family, it is important that you are able to revisit these magical adventures in the future. If you want to have regular trips to magical forests, make sure you keep your family’s bikes in tip-top shape, by not leaving them out in the elements, as they may succumb to the British weather. The long list of bike showcased on Screwfix show the range of sizes and styles that are now available. The size of your garden will be the deciding factor on which size you get, but it is best to get a shed that can protect all of the bikes. Even more important than your family’s bike’s well-being is your children’s safety. So if you get a big enough bike shed, make sure to store all their helmets, and knee and elbow pads in there too. For an added bit of entertainment, why not dress up the entrance to the bike shed up as the wardrobe leading to Narnia? This will really start their magical journey off on the right foot.

Visit child-friendly locations

Image Credit: Pexels

Here’s another reason to go out to the woods. There are many fairy-hunting guided tours for kids that you can join, as well as fairy and elf walks. These will take you and your kids through quaint villages and scenic areas where your kids can put their imaginations to work. Pop Sugar has a list of the most enchanting gardens in the UK, which includes Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire and Furzey Gardens in Hampshire. Gardens such as these are perfect for mini-adventures, as they have play parks and other activities for kids to enjoy. If you visit a National Trust site, there are also events that go on over the year, and many of them are connected to the location. For instance, castles will often have a medieval camp where the kids can practice archery.

So don’t be afraid if your kids make a mess or if they end up a little dirty from their imaginative games. Let them have fun in the mud by teaching them Harry Potter’s famous game, Quidditch. Gather your kids’ friends or organise a play date. Assign seekers, beaters, and other members of the team and let them imagine themselves flying on broomsticks like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger did.

Why should we encourage creative play in our children?

Never before has it been more important to encourage children to use their imaginations and take part in imaginative play. Is anybody else worried about the long term effects on children not learning to be imaginative? And aside from the serious future society concerns it’s a shame because imaginative, make believe is just pure fun and so we should encourage children to make the most of it whilst they can!!

However, it’s tough being a parent and trying to do the best for our little nippers all the time is a challenge; sometimes the easiest solution is to give into the good old BBC (British Babysitting Cooperation!) As much as some screen time is beneficial, I believe as parents we should be seeking out opportunities for our children to develop their imaginations as otherwise their brain development suffers. There is so much evidence to show that learning through play is an essential part of healthy learning and development for young children. And imagination exercises the brain. Like anything, without practise and exercise it won’t work as well and so if we don’t teach our children to be imaginative and encourage opportunities for imaginative play they will not develop this part of their brain which will actually do them a disservice in later life.

So if you think you will be keen to encourage your child when they are a teenager to do well in their school work and exams then I would start with encouraging as much pretend play in the early years as possible. Otherwise their brain may not be as well developed and ready for academic achievement as you may want!

As Albert Einstein said “Logic will get you from A to Z: imagination will get you everywhere”

There are so many other benefits to imaginative play, including social and emotional development. And with mental health issues being on the increase in young people it has never been more critical to help children with healthy mind development in the early years. Pretend play helps children to understand who they are and how they fit into the world. They can explore emotions, experiences and practice interactions in a safe environment. It helps with their Self -esteem and self -awareness as well as improving language and communication skills and physical development.

If nothing else the opportunity is short lived and I bet we all wish some days that we could put down our task list and go and play dinosaurs or kings and queens or pirates outside!!!

So we know we want to encourage more imaginative play in our young children, but what if we are not sure how to do this? Do we just give them their toys and get on with it?

There are plenty of great toys that inspire and facilitate imaginative play however I wouldn’t rely on expensive toys. We’ve all experienced the toddler at Christmas time who much prefers to play for hours with the cardboard box rather than the toy inside!!

So if you need some inspiration here are 11 ways to ignite the imagination of your young ball of fun and encourage pretend play in your children……

1/ Organise the play space –

Spend some time organising the toy space and boxes so they are easy to find favourite toys and create games with them. Better still create themed boxes or prop boxes using not only toys but household and old items you have hanging around. For example….

Dressing up items (hats, scarves, old clothes, accessories etc.)

Blankets and pieces of fabric for den building

Old telephones and calculators

Cooking utensils

Stuffed and plastic toys

2/ Mix up the play environment –

Take toys outside and mix up where toys are used so they can create new environments. For example take the dinosaurs to the park, set up a teddy bears picnic, airport or village in the garden.

3/ Put on a show –

A lot of kids love creating a show! And as much as it can be as excruciating to sit through, it’s a great way for them to develop confidence, play with ideas of creating structure and stories and learn about team work if they are doing it with others. Don’t worry about the end product, let them enjoy the process and encourage them to create stage space, use music and props. If they don’t know where to start then suggest they act out their favourite film, story or song. And facilitate their show space – either inside or outside; create a staging area for them to work in. Depending on the age and enthusiasm of your children you may want to be involved, starting them off with some ideas and even taking part and being parts alongside them (this is great as children LOVE telling their grown up’s what to do, so a great experience for them to do this.) Or if they are older you can give them an objective and a time limit and say you want to come and watch their show in 30 minutes.

4/Set up a mud kitchen

What kid doesn’t love a mud kitchen! The initial reaction for this suggestion is ‘no way’ for most parents because of the mess! However if preparation is done and the right clothes are worn and everyone expects to get dirty then its fine! Obviously this is not an activity to do the morning before you are meeting the grandparents for lunch! But if you can spend an hour after tea doing this, you can throw them straight in the bath and clothes straight in the washing machine and everyone’s happy (and tired and ready for bed!) The evidence for the benefits of outdoor play and exploration in nature are far reaching. And allowing your toddler a controlled time where they can get as muddy as they like is therefore ideal!

5/ Create a den

This doesn’t have to be outside, although that is great too. But a living room den is one of the most exciting things ever!! Get chairs, blankets, cushions and set up camp with your tikes!! Once it’s set up take snacks and stories inside and get cosy!! If you end up shifting sofa’s and tables to make it you have the added benefit of being about to reach areas that need cleaning afterwards as you may as well before you put them back!! So it gets a job done too!!

6/ Set up role plays and take part with your little one –

Shops, schools, transport, airports, restaurants, doctors and mechanics all make great scenarios to role play out. Don’t worry if you don’t have actual items to use – it’s about make believe! I was recently talking to a producer who was casting a new children’s BBC programme and was visiting schools and asking reception aged children to pretend to have a tea party with her. She said about half the children she met and played with didn’t understand what she meant by pretending to serve her an imaginary drink! Which is worrying! So get pretending with them!

7/ Go outside and find what you can to make a fairy house and fairy garden –

Bark, leaves, twigs, whatever you can find and get creative. You could even get some air drying clay and use that for some structures for your garden. It’s not expensive and can be bought at most craft shops. Encouraging children to create structures and design spaces in this way is a great way to get them thinking imaginatively, not just about the world of fairies but also how to be creative in what they create.

8/ Use a large cardboard box to make a puppet theatre –

Just cut a large square hole in the top half of the front, and a smaller one in the back where the junior puppeteers can enter. Hang a curtain inside the stage to hide the young performers. Make puppets out of socks or let them use dolls and stuffed animals to act out the stories.

9/ Building blocks and junk modelling –

It’s amazing how much time a child can spend with a set of building blocks. Ones that are colourful and different shapes are great too. Save up small cardboard boxes, kitchen rolls and other sturdy and clean rubbish too and do junk modelling together. This is an activity I guarantee once you start you will get carried away and end up with your own masterpiece!!

10/ Use your book collection –

As well as reading stories together, act them out; gather props to help in the expressing of the story. Encourage your child to draw a picture of different scenes in the stories or even feelings of the characters. Certain stories like ‘Going on a bear hunt’ are good as you can create the space in your living room and create your own obstacles to act out the story.

11/ Create a luck dip bag –

Create a bag with a variety of items – toys and non-toys (but intriguing, safe items from around the house that have interesting textures) that can be easily taken around with you and used for a ‘lucky dip’ surprise anytime and any place you need some play distraction!

And a few bonus ideas –

Join in with your children’s play – research shows that adults who join in with their children are able to understand their children and communicate better with them. Avoid taking over though, let them lead. It’s a good idea to watch them play first and then when you join in stick with the theme / characters that they have set until they tell you otherwise. They will love feeling like they are in the driving seat and it will give them confidence and help them develop leadership and communication skills in telling you what they want you to do in the scenario. Remember play doesn’t have to be perfect.

If a child doesn’t know how to pretend they’ll rely on you to start the play. In which case see which toy takes their interest and then pick their favourite and start to do something interesting with it – dressing a doll, flying the plane or pouring an imaginary cup of tea. Taking turns with a toy which captures a child’s heart is the best way to motivate them to start pretending.

Keep it simple. There’s no need to introduce too many new pretend ideas at once. Children love repetition and learn from it, so they will likely enjoy practicing any new pretend actions over and over again.

Have a good time. The time with young children is short and precious. Soon you’ll be battling over homework and what time they will be in…….so make the most of this time with them now……

Happy playing and let us know your favourite scenarios and imaginative play ideas……

For 5 easy and fun art activities to do with your children at home see here

For 9 Fun Ideas for Water Activities to do with your Children in the Back Garden see here

It’s half way through the school summer holidays and if you are looking for new ways to keep the kids busy at home and have kids who love being creative then here are 5 easy and fun Art activities to do with the kids at home, presented by our very own roving reporter Daisy Days and her art buddy; Artist and all round amazing creative Hazel.

All the art activities require easy and minimal equipment and all things you will need can be easily found at home or in the local bargain store!

Art activity 1 – rock painting:

This first art activity is popular currently in a lot of areas for hiding and finding decorative rocks. Many villages and areas have facebook pages dedicated to this fun and free pastime that families can do together! Simply paint some rocks however you wish, go out and hide them. And then is there is a facebook page in your area dedicated to rock hiding then look for others and post on the page when you find them. Most Facebook pages are called the name of the place and the word ‘rocks’ so for example ‘Bedford Rocks UK’

The best thing about this activity is all you need is some rocks, paints, brushes and imagination!

Art activity 2 – easy photography art:

No posh camera equipment needed for this one – simply a camera phone will do, plus some paper, pens and scissors. Its so easy and so effective……..

See some of Daisy’s end piece of artwork doing this activity –

Art activity 3 – wood and wool wind……

This activity requires some adult help, especially with the hammer part of the activity, but its a great way for younger kids to start to learn to use equipment like this in an easy way and take responsibility for being careful. As long as you help and guide them and make sure they don’t hammer their fingers then you can achieve a brilliantly effective end piece of craft for the child to display proudly in their bedroom! Daisy and Hazel have used large block of wood here but you could use a series of small discs too.

Art activity 4 – masking tape picture (with Jazzy B)

This art project is one introduced to Daisy by her friend Jazzy B and one that he and his brother like to do lots because it can take many forms – you can be abstract or create a recognisable picture. Jazzy’s brother shows us at the end how he created a race track with his recent creation! And all you need is masking tape, paper and paints!

Art activity 5 – Easy and AMAZING glass print picture (with Jazzy B!)

This is our favourite one, as it is so easy and so effective. The patterns you can make with this effect are astounding and make fantastic end pictures to be displayed. They also open up a whole discussion about light and the perspective of light through different artworks! As Daisy points out you don’t have to use glass, you can use perspex and it works just as well.

We hope you enjoyed these art activity videos and have aha chance to have a go at one or more of them! Please send us you comments on how you found them or post pictures of your creations on our Facebook page

Enjoy the rest of your holidays and get creative……..

See more videos with ideas for fun activities at home and also reviews of good family days out at her You tube channel here and if you want to be notified of new videos don’t forget to subscribe and hit the alert button!

To see other ideas for fun things to do in the garden with the kids see here

Does one of your children have a birthday coming up this summer? If they do, you’re probably looking forward to a party outdoors. In sunny and warm weather the children have a great opportunity to run around, be active, and get involved in their favourite pass times or something really special. So if you’re looking for inspiration, here are 11 fantastic summer birthday party ideas to give your child (or children) a celebration they will remember.

1. Have an activity-based garden party

Summer is the best time to make use of the back garden. Just invite the birthday child’s friends over, and there is plenty you can do to keep them all entertained for a couple of hours. If you’re looking for ideas, have a look at our post on free and fun garden activities for children. Maybe you have a paddling pool or a trampoline at home? Now is a great time to take them out and put them to good use. If not, why not hire a bouncy castle?

When you do hire or use any sort of equipment though, don’t forget to carry out all the necessary checks to ensure the children are safe. Check that the company you hire equipment from has public liability insurance in place, and ask to see the relevant paperwork. If not, you may need to purchase it yourself as a one-off, which should be fairly easy and affordable. While it’s unlikely that anything happens, you just don’t want to take the risk. So make sure all the equipment is in working order, firmly secured to the ground (in the case of a trampoline or bouncy castle), and you have enough adults supervising the children attending the party.

2. Have a themed party

Does your child LOVE dinosaurs? Fairy tales? Magic? Then why not host the party of their dreams either in your back garden or in a local park? We offer a range of fantastic interactive parties that are just perfect for keeping children of all ages entertained.

Or maybe your birthday child is into spaceships, rockets, and aliens. In which case, we know they’ll be up for an intergalactic adventure they will never forget.

3. Have an arts and crafts party

Here’s another one you can host in your back garden. Set up a large table with supplies, a bit like a food buffet but with arts and crafts material. Give them glue, paper, cardboard, papier mache, glitter, and paint. The messier the better. Either let them come up with their own creative projects or give them directions and instructions to make something specific. This encourages their creativity and helps them build something with their hands.

Or if you really want to give them an afternoon to remember, why not provide each child with their own canvas, some paintbrushes, and some non-toxic, washable paint and let them unleash their inner artist? You can even let them paint with their fingers, sponges or other objects they can just dip into the paint. You know they’ll absolutely love it! Just tell the parents in advance to dress the children in clothes they don’t mind getting dirty or provide them with little aprons if you can. Imagine sending each child home with their own masterpiece!

4. Have a picnic or tea party

When the weather blesses us with warm, sunny days, the possibilities really are (nearly) endless. Why not grab a nice spot in a local park, set up a table and organise a great picnic or tea party for the children? You may need some assistance from a few willing adults to carry food and drinks to your selected spot, but the children will have an opportunity to run around freely and do something they don’t often get to do. Place a large plastic sheet, tablecloth or a few picnic blankets on the ground and have the children indulge in between a game of tag or rounders.

5. Have a sports day party

If the weather holds, why not organise a sports day? You can have an afternoon of fun activities, like rounders, hockey, football, or volleyball and give out little medals at the end. If you have a park near you with free facilities, like goals or tennis or volleyball nets and you get there early enough, the children will have a blast playing all these fun sports. Otherwise, you can always go for some traditional races – egg and spoon, three-legged, or sack races. The parents can get involved too if they want. They could even have their own leaderboard against the children! A word of warning though. Check in advance with the birthday child (and perhaps their close friends) if they’re okay for the parents to take part. The last thing you want are sad faces or tears because a child has lost to their parent!

6. Have a water play party

When the weather is hot, there’s really nothing better than running around in your swimming costume and getting wet with your friends. Whether it’s a sponge fight, a water gun fight or a water balloon fight, the name of the game is FUN! For more ideas on water-based activities and games you and your children can play in your back garden, have a look at this post.

7. Have a water balloon pinata

While we’re on a water theme, why not invite the children over for a (wet) variation of the all-time favourite pinata? Instead of a donkey (or another shape) full of sweets, you can place a rope in between two tree branches and set up a long line of pre-filled water balloons. Give the children a plastic bat and let them have a go. Whoever breaks the most balloons wins a small prize at the end. Of course, you want the children to come prepared with their swimming costumes or a change of clothes, but you can be sure they will have a fun afternoon doing something they haven’t done before!

8. Have a swimming pool or canoeing party

Do you have an outdoor swimming pool close to you that hosts birthday parties? Or maybe a local company that organises canoeing get-togethers for groups of older children in a local river? If it’s age-appropriate, you could even host a raft-building party. Chances are that your costs for this type of party may be a bit higher, but the children are guaranteed to have a great day. They may even learn a new skill or discover a new passion! As always, make sure that you (or the company you’re hiring for the activity) have insurance in place, and don’t forget to carry out all the necessary safety and risk-assessment checks.

9. Have a kite-flying birthday party

When it comes to organising fun activities for the children in an outdoor space, you can really let your imagination (and inner child) run wild. If you’re the crafty type (or if not perhaps you can enlist the help of a willing parent or friend), why not organise a kite-making and kite-flying party? DIY kite instructions are easy to find on the internet – head over to YouTube or Pinterest and you’ll be spoilt for choice!

Based on the number of children attending the party, set up a table with enough supplies of sticks, ropes, glue, and paper for everyone to create their own kite. The youngest ones may need some help and support to make theirs, but once everyone’s finished with their creations, you all get to fly them! And hopefully, the children will get to take theirs home too. This is such a simple activity that we may have all enjoyed when we were little, but our children have probably never experienced it before!

10. Have a super-hero party

Super-hero parties never grow old. But when you have the added bonus of being able to host the birthday bash in a free outdoor space without having to hire a venue, you can keep costs down and let the children become their favourite super-heroes for a day. Ask them to come wearing a super-hero costume, or, if it’s too hot for that, why not provide them with light capes, masks, or cuffs? If you’re good with the sewing machine (or know someone who is) you could even make them yourself.

At the party, give your super-heroes a few ‘missions’. Maybe send them on a treasure hunt with clues. Or build your own obstacle course game! As always, keep an eye out for any safety aspects you may need to consider. And at the end, why not send them home with the capes, masks, or cuffs, instead of the more traditional plastic-filled party bags? For more ideas on plastic-free party bags, check out this post.

11. Have a fruit-picking party

And last but not least, why not take the children fruit picking? Find a local Pick Your Own farm that allows you to pick seasonal fruit. Strawberries are, for obvious reasons, always a favourite. Make sure you have enough adults to supervise the children and then set off with a basket each. You may need to agree on some ground rules at the beginning – for example, no child should wander off without an adult. Or you may need to remind the children that farms aren’t keen on you eating fruit before paying! Most Pick Your Own farms also have tables or a picnic area where you could gather together at the end, cut the cake, blow some candles, and eat the (deliciously fresh) fruit of your labour!

What about you? Can you think of any more summer party ideas that your children and their friends will love? If you’d like us to host your child’s next birthday party, just get in touch!

Children love water play. And seeing that the British summer has been kindly blessing us with hot weather so far this year, there’s never been a better time to let our boys and girls out in the garden and have lots of (wet) fun. Water play is great for several reasons. Firstly, it helps your children keep cool when it’s really hot, so they can enjoy being outdoors for longer (and getting a nice vitamin D top up). Plus, water play is always a great source of giggles and laughter, and it can be really inexpensive to set up too! So if you’re looking to have some fun with the children this summer (and in your own back garden, no less) here is a list of super-fun ideas for water activities.

1. Just give them a bucket.

How simple is this? Give younger children a bucket of water to dip their hands, feet, toys, or even themselves in, and they’ll be having hours of fun! Let them experiment with emptying the bucket or seeing the water overflow when they put bigger objects in. Does their plastic boat float? Does a pebble sink? For added fun, you can even raid the kitchen cupboards and put a variety of seeds and nuts in the water and see what happens. Or why not add some washing up liquid, grab a whisk from the kitchen, and let the children mix it all up and see what happens?

You may think they’re ‘just playing’, but through splashing, stirring, and pouring, they’re actually making sense of the world around them and learning as they do. It’s all so simple and yet so powerful! And if you have older children who are past this experimentation phase, just give them a bucket each, and they can just have a water fight instead!

2. Get a paddling pool.

A paddling pool could set you back a little bit – obviously, this all depends on the size you decide to get. But you can get really good-quality, good-sized paddling pools for a relatively cheap price if you shop around or plan ahead and buy in the sales towards the end of the summer to be ready to go for the following year. Give them goggles, masks, or, if you have little ones, armbands and bath toys. The added benefit is that if you get a paddling pool that’s big enough, you can get in yourself and join in the fun. (We know that secretly you’re just trying to cool yourself down!)

3. Have a water fight.

Water balloons and water guns come to mind here. All children love a good gun (make-believe) fight. It gets their creative juices going, and the chasing bit is just plain fun. There’s nothing better than a day spent running around the garden with your siblings, parents, neighbours or friends! If you have any pool noodles at home, fill up some water balloons and get the family involved in a pretend game of cricket or baseball. Of course, you’re all guaranteed to end up totally wet, but that’s the whole point, right? And if you have no balloons or water guns handy, how about throwing wet sponges at each other instead?

4. Put the sprinklers on.

When the weather is really hot, there’s nothing easier than just putting the sprinklers on and letting the children run wild in their swimming costumes. Or even their underpants. Because, surely, that doubles the fun! And if you don’t have sprinklers, you can always chase them around with the garden hose! Just be sure to protect them from the sun with UV-protective clothing or sun cream if the children are going to be outdoors during the hottest hours. Either way, it may be a good idea for them to have frequent breaks to sit in the shade for a bit and away from direct sunlight, to avoid the potential risk of skin damage.

5. Play with bottles.

Maybe your children are still a bit young to be running around with water balloons, water guns, or being chased by a garden hose. Or maybe they simply prefer quieter, less energetic activities. If they do, maybe they’ll enjoy filling some spray bottles with water and cooling themselves down that way. You can help them make some holes to the bottom or to the sides of some empty plastic bottles and let them have fun watching what happens when you pour water into the bottle. Or you could even attach and secure a water bottle to the garden hose and let the children have their very own, home-made garden sprinklers!

6. Wash something.

Well, if you’re going to play with water (and get wet) anyway, you may as well do something useful! Why not wash the car or your children’s bikes or scooters? If not, you can always play pretend. Maybe your children’s dolls need a wash? Or they toy animals? Their dinosaurs? Surely, with everything they get up to on a daily basis, dinosaurs need a wash too! If your child is into dinosaurs, you may want to check out some dinosaur-themed party games here. Or why not set up a little car- or train-wash station? Toy cars and trains always get dirty! Just make sure you supervise the selection process so that your children’s remote-controlled cars don’t end up in the water.

7. Play with ice.

Just because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean your children can’t experiment with ice. In fact, this is the time of year when you may be going through a lot of ice anyway, trying to keep your drinks cool. A great activity that your little ones will love is to fill up empty cartons of milk or juice with water and freeze them, maybe overnight. When you take the containers out of the freezer, remove the cartons, and you’ll be left with big ice shapes. Let the children have fun with them. What happens when you try and build an ice castle? Do the blocks stay on top of each other, or are they too slippery? Do they feel sticky when you touch them? If you add some food colouring to the water before you freeze it, what does the ice look like? This can be amazing for sensory play, as the activity allows the children to explore and learn through their senses, as well as developing their cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills in many other ways too.

8. Make a water table.

While most nurseries have water and sand tables they can use outdoors with the children, you may not have one at home. Smaller, generally plastic-made water or sand tables are available from all major toy retailers if you’re willing to buy one. But if not, this is where you may need to get a bit creative yourself. Do you have anything that could double up as a water table? Maybe a large, empty plastic toy box? Fill it with ice cubes and let the children mix and stir with some kitchen utensils. This is perfect for toddlers or pre-schoolers, for example. Or you could make a small world in the water table for them. Add boats, pebbles, or any toy sea creatures you may have, and you’ve just done wonders for their imagination!

Another option is to fill up your box with water and then add a few drops of food colouring into it to create coloured water. Let them experiment and see what happens when they add more colours, or when they add more water in. How do the colours change? If you add salt to the water, you can even practise floating or sinking different types of toys. As always, be careful with your wooden or any battery-operated toys as you don’t want those to end up in the water. These activities are all great for your children’s imagination – they help your child develop a variety of skills, including eye-hand coordination and cognitive abilities. With water, they can experiment with cause and effect and problem-solving in an age-appropriate way without even being aware of it!

9. Make a tin foil river.

If your children like getting involved in a little DIY project, why not make a river of tin foil? Grab some heavy-duty tin foil and literally create the bed of a (pretend) river. If you’re prepared to use the whole thing, you can make quite a good-sized river! Put something underneath so it’s downhill and add some ‘obstacles’, like pebbles or sticks that your children can find in the garden. Pour some water from the top of the river and watch it flow to the bottom. If you don’t want to waste the water, you can collect it at the bottom through another bucket and feed it through your river again and again. Let the children lead the way here – listen to their ideas and their input. Let them experiment and see what they come up with. You’ll be amazed at how resourceful and creative your children can be.

If you liked this post and are looking to have more garden fun with your children while the good weather lasts, you may be interested in our post with ideas for fun and free garden activities.

Over to you now – do you have any ideas or suggestions for fun water activities that your children love?

RT @BarefootFest: Who said the Summer Holidays have to be boring?
We've got a JAM-PACKED programme to keep the kids entertained.
From our dedicated Arts and Crafts tent, family yoga (hello loads of Dad dancing) and even a family cinema...
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